How to Apply Blush to Look Younger

We're All About No Contour (and It's Making Us Look Younger)

We're All About No Contour (and It's Making Us Look Younger)

We've been growing tired of the whole contouring as a necessity trend for while now. That's not to say great contour doesn't have a time and a place in our beauty routines, but we've learnt it's not a one size fits all prescription. In fact, unless you're naturally blessed with a baby face, once you reach your mid-20s your desire to chisel out your cheekbones could actually be making you look older.

Think about it! The whole point of contour is to create the illusion of shadow, and to recede certain areas of the face. However, as we age our faces naturally go through this process, so the addition of contour can actually emphasise that loss of plumpness, leaving us looking tired, drawn and gaunt. Exactly the opposite of what we're trying to achieve, right?

So what's the solution? According to Korean celebrity makeup artist Chosungah, the key is a product you've probably forgotten the power of — blush! And it's all in the placement. Most of us think the apples of our cheeks is where we should be applying blush, but Chosungah notes that "as we age the apples of our cheeks naturally fall further away from the centre of our face." So if we continue to apply our blush in the same spot, over time it will start to drag the face down. The key is to lift the placement of your blush to sit higher on the cheek (sitting just on top of the cheek bone), to lift the face and give the illusion of a more youthful, and plump appearance. For the best result, Chosungah recommends using a creme blush before your foundation, then topping it up with a light hand after you've finished your look. The creme product will create a dewy, "I drink a lot of Kombucha" kind of glow, and layering the product before your base will ensure things look natural.

Moving forward we'll be skipping contour on a daily basis, and if we do decide to dabble it will be all about an individualised approach. Think creme products and a *very* light hand, rather than spending a good couple of minutes trying to re-sculpt our entire faces.